Manchester United coach Marc Skinner has revealed defender Anna Sandberg will be out for up to eight weeks with the knee injury she sustained in the Champions League play-off first leg tie with Atletico Madrid in Spain last week.
Sandberg had to go off at half-time in United's 3-0 victory.
It was initially felt the Sweden full-back had suffered a calf problem.
However, looking ahead to the return game at Leigh, Skinner confirmed it was a knee-related issue that will keep Sandberg out for at least four weeks and possibly quite a bit longer, ruling her out of the FA Cup trip to Chelsea on 22 February and next month's League Cup final against the same opposition.
"There's a little bit of a tidy up that needs to be done around Anna's meniscus," he said.
"From the time frame we've been given, the best is four, the middle is six and obviously the worst case is eight.
"If it was eight, she would probably be back three or four games before the end of the season.
"We're hopeful we can get it to six but won't take any risk. She's a young player so we'll make sure she's rehabbed effectively."
The 22-year-old joined United in 2024 and has become one of the key figures in Skinner's side.
She was replaced by experienced former Everton player Gabby George for the Women's Super League victory over London City Lionesses on Sunday.
Sandberg will also miss Sweden's World Cup qualifiers with Italy and Serbia next month.